When the Unexpected Happens
by Jeni-Tall
Summary: Who knew that a troubling day in Diagon Alley would lead to an inextricable link formed between two? DHr. R&R Please!
1. Troubles in Diagon Alley

**A/N - Okay, so I was just re-reading this, I'm now on chapter five by the way, but um, yeah I reread this and thought, Oh my goodness. It seems so… poorly written. I dunno. I think the rest is written better. I just, don't really like this chapter. Other people do though, but hey. Please read the rest, even if you don't like this chapter, I swear it gets better. I'm not saying this is DREADFUL, but, well, okay. I'll just let you guys decide.**

**Disclaimer - **Although I wish I were, I am not JK Rowling, nor do I own Harry Potter, or any of the characters I write about. Don't sue me, I'm not claiming any of them.

This is set in 6th year because I don't like writing after the 6th book. It's hard to write about anything but the battle.)

**(This is my first fan fiction I've ever written, so please be constructive on the reviews!)**

**Present Time**

"Fine! If you don't like listening to me, then I won't bother talking to you anymore!"

"Hermione, wait! I didn't mean it like-" Ron started to say, but Hermione had already stalked off. It was only the second week of term, and Ron was sure they'd had at least six fights already.

_Man, she's been getting so edgy lately. I wonder what's got her wand in a knot? _Ron thought to himself.

**Three Weeks Earlier**

Hermione had just stopped by Flourish and Blotts to pick up her schoolbooks and was now sitting outside the ice cream shop eating a delightfully refreshing chocolate ice cream cone. It was quite warm out, considering it was late August, and her ice cream was beginning to melt.

She swiped a long drabble of chocolate off the side of her cone with her finger and was about to lick it off, when suddenly something- or someone -gently grabbed her hand and licked her finger for her. In shock, Hermione was speechless. She looked up to see who this finger licking stranger was, and saw none other than Draco Malfoy.

_Boy, has he changed! And his hair looks so great! Wait… what am I thinking!? _ Hermione thought subconsciously.

And, as Hermione had said, Draco had changed dramatically over the holiday. His blonde hair was no longer greasy or slicked back. It was now falling freely into his face and his eyes looked, (gasp could it be?), human! There seemed to be a soul staring back at Hermione, not the usual sunken eyed sneer she had become so accustomed to receiving.

However, Hermione herself had changed, too. Her figure was well filled out, and she found the perfect way to put her hair up in a loose bun, letting a few playful curls fall out.

She was wearing a brilliant top that fit like a glove on her frame, and she was wearing low-rise jeans that made her flat butt look oh so curvaceous!

"Hello, Hermione," Draco whispered gently into her ear. It sent chills down her spine.

"Draco," she breathed. And that's when reality sunk in.

"What? No, 'Hey, mud blood,' or 'watch it, Granger!'!?! And what makes you think that you can walk up here and, of all things, lick MY ice cream, off MY finger!?!"

"The same thing that makes me think I can do this."

And he grabbed he half eaten ice-cream cone and licked it in such a suggestive manner that Hermione gasped aloud. Draco grabbed her purse that she had sat beside herself and began to walk away.

"Hey! Give me back my purse!" shouted Hermione.

"You can have it if you can catch me," replied Draco.

And with an unusual amount of spring in his step, Draco Malfoy sprinted down Diagon Alley with Hermione following closely behind. Ten minutes later, Malfoy had led Hermione down an empty alleyway and stopped to catch his breath when Hermione tackled him and snatched her purse back.

In most cases, she would've conjured it back with her wand, but beings as her wand was in her purse she couldn't do that.

She too, was out of breath, so after safely securing her purse in one hand and wand now in the other, Hermione slumped against the wall of the alleyway, closed her eyes, tilted her head back, and began to catch her much needed breath. _Of all the days I decided to carry a purse, _she thought.

But, quite suddenly, Hermione was forced not to take deep breaths through mouth, but short, surprised ones through her nose, for Draco Malfoy was _kissing _her!

But she didn't push him away. In fact, she rather liked it. She began to kiss him so fiercely she surprised even herself. She had no idea how much she wanted him. Wanted his warmth, his touch, his…

He began to slide his hand up her shirt and moved his lips to her neck, giving her playful little nibbles here and there and between kisses he said, "I've been waiting- since I first- first saw- you on the- the

train to do- this. I- only played- played up to- my pure-blood- reputation because my - father, would- would kill me- if he - knew I - I loved you!"

Hermione pushed him away in wide-eyed shock, blinked, then kissed him more passionately than before. She then picked up her purse, straightened her shirt, and walked back into Diagon Alley leaving Draco more confused than a newborn puppy being thrown outside to pee.

**Back to Present Time**

_I cannot BELIEVE Ronald! I ask him one question and he goes off about how he doesn't want to talk to me because he was in a discussion about how to get Lavender in bed. Didn't mean it like that my arse…_

"Just because I've been taking a little time to myself does not mean I'm avoiding you, Ronald! Honestly, you act like you're my boyfriend or something. Just leave me alone!"

And with that, Hermione left crying and ran up to her dormitory slamming the door behind her.

"You had better go and talk to her, mate," Harry said to Ron.

"But why should I? Every time I try, she gets all emotional. You know I can't handle that!"

"Yeah, but you love her, don't you.?"

"Yes, but it's not like she'll ever love me back. I think she hates me…"

"But she's never going to get over it if you don't talk to her," reasoned Harry.

"I suppose…." Ron sighed.

**End Chapter One**


	2. You better talk to her, mate

-1Ron trudged his way up the stairs towards the girls dormitory, where Hermione had run to. He raised his fist to gently knock on the door when he heard a soft whimper. _Oh no… she's crying! What do I do now…_ he thought. He was about to turn around when the door opened.

Hermione was startled to see Ron standing in the door way, and shut the door in spite of herself, and said, "You can't be up here Ron! it's the GIRLS dormitory." Angrily, Ron yelled, "You know, I was only coming up here to apologize!"

The door opened again and Hermione flung her arms around him. "_ImreallyreallysorryRonIdidn't meantomakeyoumaditsjustthatMalfoykissedme!"_

_"_He WHAT! When! Why haven't you mentioned this before!"

"Oh Ronald, I knew you'd be angry, please just calm down! It happened in Diagon Alley. I was eating my ice cream and next thing I knew Malfoy had my purse and was running away with it. I didn't know what else to do, so I ran after him. I cornered him in an alleyway and took my purse back. He was catching his breath, so I did the same. And then, he just, kissed me!" Hermione told him, turning a bright shade of pink.

Ron looked down, somewhat angrily, and said, "So that's why you've been so uptight." Hermione told Ron that she knew he'd understand and wouldn't go do anything drastic. Normally, he would've, but when those words came out of her mouth, he believed her.

Turning red, Ron mumbled very quietly, "Thanks for the hug."

"Hmm?"  
"Erm…. Thank you."

"For what?"  
"That hug you gave me earlier."

"Oh Ron!"

And with that, Hermione gave run one of the longest hugs he had ever received, even from his mum. (**A/N - aww… **D)

Ron came back down the stairs with a very pleased look on his face. Harry was sure they had kissed because of Ron's expression, so he hurriedly ran over to ask him about it.

"Kissed me! I wish! Naw… it was just a hug. But it was the best hug I've ever had! And Harry, mate, she smells so sweet! Just like vanilla…"

Harry sighed at his friends immaturity and rolled his eyes. He decided that if anything ever happened between his two best friends, Ron might die of happiness.

The next morning, the three friends left for breakfast together. When the entered the Great Hall, Ron didn't even look at Draco. The hug seemed to have had an alleviating on the fact that Draco and Hermione kissed. Hermione didn't even care anymore. She was now sure that Ronald liked her, and that was all that mattered. It seemed that poor, love-stricken Draco was now out of the picture.

As they sat down at the Gryffindor table, Ron slid his hand into Hermione's. Blushing furiously, Ron stared at the food on the table. Hermione followed suit.

"What's up with you guys? Aren't you going to eat? We're going to need the strength, double potions today…" laughed Harry. Ron sort of grinned and pointed at their hands, which were currently under the table. Harry looked under the table, and came up laughing loudly. He stopped at a look from Ron.

As the week went by, more and more hand holding became natural to the two. People were starting to mutter things like, "Are they going out now? It's about time!" But the fact of the matter was, they weren't.

**End Chapter Two**

A/N - I know it's short guys, but that's a good spot to leave it! Sorry for the slow update. Please, I need 5 reviews to continue the story. They really encourage me, otherwise i feel like my story is rubbish. Hope you like it! It is my first one!


	3. Ouch

-1Ron was sitting in a chair in front of the fire in the Gryffindor common room, when Hermione came in from her millionth library excursion. He looked up from the book he was reading, _Quidditch Through the Ages, _and smiled at her. She grinned and walked over to sit next to him. She was walking past him to sit in the next chair, when he leaned forward and put his arms around her waist, pulling her onto his lap. Ron was shocked at himself for doing such a noble thing, and began to blush furiously. Hermione was also looking like she had a sunburn, and she gasped as Ron grabbed her.

He was dying to ask her out, but every time he brought himself up to asking her, he chickened out. Hermione looked at him and noticed he was looking particularly thoughtful, and decided to ask him about it.

"Hey, Ron. What're you thinking about?"

"Honestly?"

"Honestly."

"You."

"Oh…" She blushed.

"I was wondering,"

"Yeah?"

"Um…" Ron looked too afraid to say it, so he ended up blurting it all out like lightning. "Wango outwifme?"

"Excuse me?" asked Hermione, looking rather confused.

"Uh, I was wondering if you'd like to g--"

"Hey guys! Well, don't you two look like a couple!" Ginny giggled.

"Oh, erm," Hermione jumped up quicker than you can say Quidditch. Blushing profusely, she told Ron that she'd talk to him later and ran up to he dormitory, feeling more embarrassed than ever. Surely Ron didn't like her enough to be her boyfriend…

Ron smacked Ginny right across the forehead. "Ouch! You little prat!" She whipped out her wand to perform her hex, when he snatched it and yell-whispered, "I was _this _close to asking her out," holding up his fingers. Immediately, Ginny's heart dropped into her stomach. She'd been waiting years for that to happen, and she just ruined it. Her best friend, and her brother, both hurt, because of her.

"I'm so sorry, Ron," she wailed, and ran out of the portrait hole crying. _Merlin, she's emotional. _

It was almost dinner time, and Ron decided to wait in the common room for Hermione. When she came down, he fell into a trance-like state. _She's so beautiful, _he thought.

"Oh, erm, thanks."

"What? I said that out loud?"

"Yeah," She giggled.

"Damn."

They walked down to dinner together, and Ron was itching to ask her out. When they were halfway across the Great Hall, Ron grabbed Hermione's cloak. She asked him why he stopped, and right then and there, in front of the whole school, he kissed her. They turned right around and were about to leave the Great Hall, when Malfoy punched Ron in the face.

**End Chapter Three**


	4. Talking with Ginny

-1As soon as the attack had happened, Hermione had her wand pointed at Malfoy's heart and had him begging for mercy before Dumbledore even knew what was going on. Silence filled the hall, waiting for something else to happen. When it did, it was McGonagall shouting at Malfoy for uncalled violence and the feud ended in a severe, but well deserved, sixty points from Slytherin.

All that night, the school filled with rumors as to why Malfoy would punch Ron for kissing Hermione. The Gryffindor common room was buzzing with opinions.

"Does he like her?"

"No way!"

"He calls her mud blood ALL the time! Don't you listen, Ginny?"

"Maybe he's just putting on an act…"

"I think he just got sick from watching them snog in front of all of us. I almost did."

"They weren't snogging, Dean!"

"Oh yeah? What do you call it then?"

"Padma, it was a quick kiss!"

"No way Lavender! It lasted like, 5 minutes!"

"Merlin, Fred, you were timing them?"'

"Notice the use of the word like, it was an estimate! Gods, you can be so stupid sometimes, Gin!"  
"It's about time though, really. I mean, they've liked each other for _years_!"

"Liked? Try loved!"

"Or obsessed…"

"Oh, come off it, Seamus!"

"_You _didn't have to listen to Ron go on about her at Quidditch practice, did you?"

Hermione couldn't stand listening to the constant squabbling and had taken to confining herself to her room, where only Ginny was allowed to talk to her. Ginny had been prodding Hermione for over an hour, and Hermione looked close to an emotional breakdown.

"Ginny, I hate him! I really do! I know why he punched Ron and it's all my fault for letting it happen! I mean, if I hadn't gotten ice cream, or maybe if I ignored him -"

"What are you talking about?!?" demanded Ginny.

"Well, I was in Diagon Alley a week before school started…" and Hermione told Ginny the whole story, every word, every moment, every want and need in her mind and her body… everything.

"Oh Merlin… oh no. No no no no no no no."

"Thanks, Gin. Your are helping _so _much."

"Erm, well. It's just… you made out with _Malfoy_."

"Thank you, Miss Obvious."

"Well, that makes you his."

"Excuse me? I am not property to be bought or called for."

"I know, I didn't mean it like that. I meant you didn't smack him, or say no. You just, sorta, well… you kissed him back. And that makes you his."

"No, I really like Ron. I wouldn't go so far as to say love, but it's definitely more than I've got for the-guy-who-never-lets-me-live-down-my-muggle-born-status Draco Malfoy. Granted, he is hot, and a great kisser… but Ron's the only one for me. He sweet, and caring, and I mean he just ke-"

"Yuck! That's my brother. Keep the mush to a minimum puh-lease!" Ginny exclaimed..

"Okay. No need for the dramatics. I just, I hope that this all blows over."

That night, Hermione lie in bed thinking about the recent events- Draco's kiss in particular. She could've swore her lips tingled at the thought of, as though some electrical pulse (or magical current, perhaps) was running through them. It was indescribable, and made her feel slightly dizzy just reminiscing about it. She wasn't sure she liked it, but she knew she didn't hate it. Why else would she think about it so much?

**A/N** - I am SUCH a horrible person. I honestly thought I had posted this chapter forever ago, and had given up on this story because I didn't get anymore reviews. This is explains why. I was just going back through my stories ( you guys should review my other two, beings as no one else has, if you love me enough to do that ) and found that I failed to post this chapter. cries Please don't hate me! I will update if you review! I love you guys… please forgive me for this tragic error. I won't blame you if you flame me just because of it. (Please don't flame) lol. Hugs!


	5. I did, and I liked it

A/N - Okay guys. I don't know if anyone's still reading this, but frankly, I don't care. I'm writing it for my own amusement at this point. It was the first fic I ever really committed to, and I'm gonna finish. And for anyone reading this… if they love me… you should check out my other fic, Like the Rain. On with the story.

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That same night, Malfoy rolled over in his bed and brought his fingers up to his lips. He had just been thinking about Granger when his lips started to tingle. To his amazement, it was the same feeling he had when he kissed her.

_Why do I bloody feel like this every time I think about her? I don't get it. _

Shaking his head slightly, Malfoy drifted off into a night of restless sleep.

Waking up the next morning, Draco stumbled out of bed and got dressed, wondering if it was really time to get up or not. When he finished dressing, he stepped in front of his mirror, shook his hair out, and decided to head down to breakfast.

(A/N) - From this point forward, I will be using asterisks to denote scene changes. Not that you needed to know, but I felt the need to clarify. Shut up, Kayla. LOL! Ok… keep reading. Are you reading this author's note anyway? Why? I'm just babbling now… tee hee. Ok I'll stop. If you're anything like me, you sometimes feel the need to read these trivial notes anyways. Read my story, it's better.

The next morning, Hermione woke up feeling slightly dazed. _Did I even get any sleep?_ she wondered.

She fumbled through her drawers, grabbed some clothes, and dressed for the day. She ran a brush through her hair hastily, before deciding that she'd just throw it up in a ponytail.

She'd never wore her hair like that at Hogwarts, but it was always how she'd worn it when she and her parents went on trips. _Besides,_ she thought, _it keeps my hair out of my face._

She made her way down to the common room, only to see Ginny sitting in her favorite chair. Not that it mattered, she was going down to breakfast anyway.

Ginny looked up, smiled, and said, "I like your hair like that, Hermione. You're very pretty, you know. Wear it up more often, boys will notice," she said winking.

Hermione laughed. "Thanks, Gin. Hey, I'll catch up with you at breakfast okay? I'm heading down now."

"Alright. See ya."

Hermione climbed through the portrait hole and walked down to breakfast. When she entered the Great Hall, no one turned to look at her. No one stopped eating her breakfast to stare at her. No one dropped their goblets out of amazement. No one, that is, except Draco.

_Merlin she looks good, _he thought. _Wait… no she doesn't. What the bloody hell am I saying?! Gods… I need to stop thinking about her like this. I don't care if I kissed her or not. I only did it to bug her. Now all it seems to be doing is bugging me._

By this point, Hermione was already sitting down at her table, and she had looked up to see Malfoy staring at her.

She gave him a curious look, and he looked down.

_Oh gods, _he thought, _she saw me looking. Oh well. I know! I'll look up, and glare at her! Yeah… that'll get her off my back._

He looked up, and sure enough, glared at her. He saw a hurt expression cross her face, and then he felt bad. His face softened, and he gave her a look almost asking her for silent forgiveness. She gave him a small smile, and he grinned and looked down to his plate.

_That's odd. Was he just smiling at me? NO! I CAN'T LIKE HIM! But… I do. EURGH! Why-_

"Hey, Hermione!"

She was interrupted by a cheery looking Ron. He leaned over and gave her a quick peck on the cheek before sitting down. Hermione flushed and suddenly felt very uncomfortable around Ron.

He slipped his hand into hers, and Hermione didn't know what to do. She _had _to get away from him. She just didn't know how.

As soon as Ginny walked in, which was only moments later, Hermione immediately scooted over, allowing Ginny to sit between her and Ron.

"Morning, Gin!"

An odd look crossed Ginny's face, before Hermione looked towards Ron, and then back at Ginny. Within a matter of seconds, the odd look was replaced by one of realization. Ginny whispered as small 'Oh!' and sat down between them.

Draco, who had been watching all of this, smirked to himself.

_So, I make Granger uncomfortable around her own boyfriend, huh? I like this. _

Ginny leaned over and spoke quietly to Hermione, "Why don't you want to sit by him?"

Hermione looked uneasy, before slowly answering, "I- I just… I don't- I think I was wrong."

"About?"

"Liking him."

"Really?" Ginny said, looking slightly amused. "So… if not my brother then who? Oh… perhaps… a certain blonde haired Slytherin?"

"Shut up, Ginny!" She hissed, looking around worriedly. "They're gonna hear you. And if you _must _know… yes."

"I KNEW IT!" she yell-whispered in triumph.

"Hmph."

Hermione turned and finished her breakfast, before she left and mumbled something about going to the library.

"But it's _Saturday, _Mione!" Ron whined.

Hermione cringed. She hated it when he called her that. It wasn't really that she didn't like the nickname. She just didn't like the way he said it. It was like, he held the 'I' sound. It was too much like a two year old whining. She just… didn't like it.

Sighing, Hermione replied, "I know, _Ronald_, but I have to look up something for our essay McGonagall assigned us."

"You seriously need a break. We could, eh, hang out…" he said, suggesting something that made Hermione shudder internally.

"No. I need to do this," she said simply.

"Fine. I'll go play quidditch. Or something," Ron said, dragging the words as if he were in great pain.

"You do that."

"I will," he said, daring her to stop him.

"Ok," she replied, nonchalantly.

"Fine."

And with that, she turned and stormed out of the Great Hall. Draco Malfoy noticed her leaving, and decided he wasn't feeling very hungry anymore either.

When he left, he saw Hermione rounding the corner at the top of the stairs.

"Hey! Wait!"

Hermione stopped, wondering who it was. The voice was familiar… but she couldn't quite place it. Seamus? No. _Who is that? She wondered. _When she turned around, she came face to face with the one she least expected.

"Malfoy?"

"Surprised?" he questioned, smirking.

"Somewhat, yes," she said, raising her eyebrows.

"Don't be."

Hermione didn't know what to say to that, so she didn't say anything. She looked down, clinging to her book bag for life.

_Oh god. What did I stop her for? What am I doing here? _he thought angrily. _I don't like her. Yes I do. Why can't I deny it? Why am I HERE!? She looks so pretty. Especially with her hair up. Wait… I am _**not**_thinking this! Yes I am. Eurgh…_

"I, uh, I like your hair like that." _Merlin_, he thought, smacking himself internally. _'I like your hair'? Did I honestly just say that? _

"Thanks." After a pause, she added, "I like how you don't grease yours back anymore."

"Me too. That was kind of, um, kind of my dad's idea. The slicked-back look, I mean. He said it made me look more… more important."

"Oh…"

They stood there for a moment, and Hermione decided to say the one thing that was on her mind.

"Um. I- do you- do you re- never mind," Hermione stuttered, tripping over her own words.

"What?" he asked, heart racing.

"Well, do you remember that day you kissed me? Back in Dia-"

"How could I forget?" he said, looking a little astonished that she had asked the very question that had taken over his mind as of late.

"Well, I- I was wonder… did you… erm… di- did you- eh, I-"

"Did you feel anything?" he asked excitedly.

She nodded, eyes wide.

"Because I did. And I liked it."


	6. Release and Capture

**A/N**_** - **_Hey guys. So I really should be updating LTR right now, but I've had several requests for this one, so here goes nothing. I miss Madi… my beta/fan-fiction-fiancé/everything. LOL! Reviews make my day! D

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"_Did you feel anything?" he asked excitedly._

_She nodded, eyes wide. _

"_Because I did. And I liked it."_

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She gasped. Thoughts racing at the speed of light, Hermione's brain was bombarded with a thousand feelings. _Oh my god! He's saying exactly what I'm thinking! I… I know what to do. If he hates me for it, well, it won't be all that different than before this year._

She looked up into his eyes, seeing them shine with uncertainty before leaning in to kiss him.

_What is she thinking? _Draco wondered worriedly. _Oh no… maybe I shouldn't have said that… Oh Merlin. Now she's looking at me. Um… I'll kiss her! No… Should I? _Draco continued battling himself in his mind before seeing her lean in.

They met halfway. No sooner had their mouths met, than they both pulled away,

"That feeling!?" They both exclaimed.

Draco looked at Hermione, lost for words, before reclaiming her lips. The passion was undeniable. These two were inextricably linked. By a simple feeling… a simple… magic.

Before long, the sensation had not only filled their lips, but their entire bodies. Her hands were on either side of his face, pointlessly trying to pull him closer. He hugged her tightly, hands pulling on the small of her back.

He pulled away, hearing a small moan of protest from Hermione. Keeping his arms wrapped around her, he thought about the consequences of someone seeing them.

"Sorry," he said, out of breath, "but um… if we carry this on here, we could very well be caught."

"Oh. You're um… you're right." Hermione replied, biting her lip and looking to the ground.

After a moment, she looked up at his face, blushing, and said, "Never."

"Never what?" he asked, confused.

"Never, _ever, _would I have pictured myself here in your arms. But now that I'm here… I don't want to leave."

"You won't ha-"

"_HERMIONE?!"_

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Hehe, I'm totally evil, but that was way to short to just leave that as a chapter. And you know me and my cliffies! So… you must scroll. MUAHAHA. Is it wrong to find humor in this?

We're almost there…

Muahaha. We're here. Was that torture? I bet it was… On with the story!

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Draco and Hermione's heads both snapped in the direction of the shouting, only to see a shocked and appalled looking pair of redheads.

"No- its not- we were just- I mean-"

"Save it, Hermione. Come with us. You got some s'plaining to doooo," the first red-head said, sounding terribly like Ricky from that muggle show, _I Love Lucy_.

"Erm, catch you later… hopefully," he whispered into her ear. His warm breath sent shivers down her spine.

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Entering an empty classroom, Hermione took a seat at a vacant desk, while the other two sat upon the teacher's desk.

"Dear, dear Hermione," the discoverer said slowly, with a small look of amusement upon his face.

"Do tell," said the one on the right.

"Fred, George, I…"

She sighed and gripped the edges of her desk, not knowing where to begin.

"Well, something we'd like to know," Fred said, looking to his twin, "is why,"

"Why," added George,

"Why," supplemented Fred,

"Would you do this to our sweet little Ronniekins?" finished George.

Hermione looked at the two uneasily, before taking a deep breath and said, "Look guys. I like Ron. A lot. I really do!" she exclaimed, looking at there doubtful faces.

"I just… I think I like him as more of a… a brother. I mean, the other day, when he kissed me, I didn't even _feel_ anything. I didn't think about then, as someone's fist had become a bit of a distraction, but… I just don't think of him that way," she finished lamely.

"I see," said George. "If that is the case, which I assume it is, as I expect nothing less than the truth from you," he continued, sounding chillingly like Dumbledore, "then where-oh-where…"

"…does Malfoy come in?" concluded Fred.

"Oh… that."

She sighed, biting her lip, and then told them the whole Diagon Alley story, getting quite sick of it as this was her third time telling it in full length. She left out the bits of "feelings" she felt with Draco, but told them everything else.

When she finished, she looked between the two anxiously, before burying her face in her hands out of embarrassment.

"Well, your secret's safe with us," said Fred, getting up to walk away.

"Really?" She said out of disbelief.

"Yes… as long as _you're _the one to tell Ronald about this," George told her, saying as though it would be the easiest thing in the world to do.

"You have one week."

And with that, the two left Hermione sitting alone, trembling with relief, shock, and a newfound fear.

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**A/N** - I was just wondering… are my chapters too short? I mean… I know a lot of you will say yes, just because I always end with cliffies, but I mean… are they too too too short? Some stories I've read have shorter chapters, but many are longer… I don't know. If you're not satisfied, let me know. There's this nifty little thing called a review box in the bottom left hand corner of your screen. You just click 'Submit Review' and drop me a line. It's quite pleasing to get them you know. Alright. I'm off. Hopefully I'll get another chapter up by tomorrow, but I'm going to be awfully busy ALL day tomorrow. -sigh- I'll try! Reviews give me more motivation (hint hint). A few of them may even get another chapter up tonight! On that note… bye guys!


	7. Who do you love?

**A/N - The world has ended. Just kidding. But my computer crashed and I lost ALL my fan fiction stuff. And everything else for that matter. -sigh- Life is officially depressing at this moment in time. SO… if it takes a touch longer than normal to update, this is why. Email me if you have MSN or Yahoo! I'd like to talk to my reviewers! You guys make my day. You have no idea how much we author's appreciate your input. Ok, on with the story. **

_One week. Oh god. How am I supposed to pull this off?! _Hermione thought feebly.

It had already been a day.

Earlier, during Charms, Ron had put his arm around her waist. Hermione dropped her quill and bent to pick it up, swiftly maneuvering her way out of his reach in the process. Draco had been watching and merely smirked at the scene.

_That's my girl, _he thought, _Wait. My girl? What am I saying?! I'm not mushy…_

On her way to dinner that night, she felt a tug on the back of her robes. Sighing, she turned to see who it was, only to be pulled into the nearby broom closet.

"Draco?" He was very close to her, as the space was small.

"Shh. We don't want anyone to hear us. Have you told Ron yet?" he asked.

"No… I'm not sure how to. I don't want a row, but I know that's bound to happen anyway." After a moment, she added, "We aren't supposed to be together, Draco," before looking to the ground.

"Did I ever tell you how much I love that?" he asked, feeling amiable.

"The fact that we're not supposed to be together?" Hermione asked incredulously. "Because if that's what you mean then y--"

"No!" he exclaimed. "When you say my name," he sighed.

"Draco?"

"Yeah. It's nice to not be associated with my surname. And… did I mention that the way it rolls off your tongue makes me want to shag you endlessly?" Draco said scandalously.

"Draco!" she said in indignation.

"You better stop that," he said huskily, pushing up against her.

_Oh gods that feels good, _she thought, her stomach flip-flopping. _No! I have to leave! But I don't want to… _

She giggled, and said, "You know… if I'm late for dinner, Ron will _know _something's up."

"He's going to _know _soon anyways. Might as well make his suspicions worthwhile."

Grinning, he leaned in and kissed her. After a moment, she pushed him away saying, "As much as I'd _love _to carry on, I can't. Goodbye, Draco," she said, emphasizing his name.

_If she only knew what she did to me, _he thought.

_Who was I back there? That wasn't me. I've been so… out of body lately. When I'm around him… _Hermione lamented. _He's all I EVER think about anymore. Is that bad? _

Lost in her thoughts, Hermione's feet carried her all the way to dinner before she even knew it.

"Hello, Hermione!" Ron greeted cheerfully.

"Oh… hey, Ron," she replied, unenthusiastically.

_It's now or never, Hermione, _she told her self, sighing.

"Umm, Ron? Could I talk to you out in the hall for a moment?" she asked, shifting her feet.

"Sure, 'Mione!" He said, mouth full.

She looked at him reproachfully, before making her way out of the Great Hall, Ron tagging along behind her, clueless. She glanced at the Slytherin's table and saw a blonde-haired boy giving her an encouraging look. It helped her more than he knew.

Once in the hallway, Hermione turned around to say something to Ronald, but was met full-force with a pair of lips.

"EURGH! Ron! Get - off - me!" she cried, pushing him off of her. "What is your problem?" she said, disgusted.

"_My _problem?! _My…problem? _Excuse me, miss I-like-you-but-only-in-public, but if you haven't noticed, I LOVE YOU!'

"Like? In… public? Ron… no… I don't- I don't like you. I-"

"Hermione, didn't you hear me?! I love you! Hear me?!" he said, grabbing her shoulders, shaking her.

"Stop it! Stop, Ron! You're scaring me!" she cried, tears beginning to run down her face.

"I LOVE YOU! DOESN'T THAT MEAN ANYTHING!?" he bellowed, shaking her even harder.

"WELL I DON'T LOVE _YOU _RON!!! I LOVE DR-" she stopped, realizing what she was about to say.

"Who?" he said, dropping his hands to his sides.

But he didn't get an answer.

_I love him? No… but… it feels so right. To say that… oh Merlin's left shoe. What have I gotten myself into?_

"Who!?" Ron demanded.

"Ron. I really don't want to talk about this. And_ don't _touch me," she snapped as he reached up to touch her face.

"Just… just go away. I can't deal with you right now," she said shakily.

"NO! TELL ME WHO YOU LOVE! IF YOU DON'T LOVE ME THEN YOUR LOVE IS NOT WORTH IT! HE MUST BE A REAL PISSER TO MAKE YOU THINK YOU LO-"

_Smack!_

A dumbstruck Ron stood with a red handprint on his face.

"Don't you _ever _speak of Draco like that," she said in a deadly whisper, knowing full well what she had just said.

With that, Hermione turned on her heel and stomped off.

**A/N **- Was it horrible? Was it wonderful? I don't know… this chapter was kind of hard to write. My hat goes off to Madi who is staying up for me just so she can read this. -Huggles!- Review please! Review and you get a cookie. Review and add to your favorites and you get a whole tin of cookies. Review and add to your favorites _and _add to your alerts and I'll get you a cookie factory. )


	8. A Pillow Fight With Ginny

**A/N - **So… tired… must… finish. If this sucks, its not my fault. I'm posting! Be happy. Oh… and go read That's All I Have To Say by Madi Black when you're done with this. yawn Thanks.

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Fuming, Hermione entered the common room.

Fred and George were sitting in a corner with a couple of second years.

She stomped up to them and said angrily, "He knows now. Happy!?"

The twins looked at each other and exchanged worried looks. The two first years slowly edged there way out of Hermione's view.

"Obviously she's not," muttered Fred, motioning towards Hermione.

"So, er, how'd he uh… how'd he take it?" asked George.

"Couldn't tell you. I didn't stick around long enough to find out after I smacked him. But let me tell you, if he _ever_ touches me again, he will never be able to bear children. _You _can be the one's to tell him that, beings as its _your _fault he knows in the first place."

"Touches you? What do you mean?" Fred questioned, looking confused.

"I mean this," she said, walking up to Fred, grabbing his shoulders, squeezing hard, and shaking.

"Ouch! What are you _doing_?!" he said, wincing in pain.

"Imagine that, only thrice as hard. Yes, thrice."

Fred looked at George, who looked at Hermione, who looked to the ground.

"Really?" asked George quietly.

"I'm going to bed," she said, shrugging them off.

She made her way up the stairs and into her dormitory. Ginny was sitting in her bed writing a letter.

"Hey, Hermione!" she greeted warmly, looking like she was ready to talk into the wee hours of the night.

"Hi, Gin. Sorry, but uh, I don't feel much like talking. I'm gonna go to bed. N-n-night," she said, stifling a yawn."

Ginny gave Hermione a disappointed and reproachful look , but didn't say anything. She muttered a soft good night, before returning to her letter.

Hermione changed into her nightdress and crawled into bed. As she lay there, she thought about all that had happened.

_At least I'm free to be with Draco now, _she thought happily.

And not another sound was made except the scratching of Ginny's quill on the parchment.

Until morning, that is.

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"HERMIONE!!! HER- MY- UH- NEEEEE"

"Ooof!" Hermione grunted, as her head made full contact with a foreign pillow.

"Get- up!" Ginny yelled between blows.

She sat up and began to mutter a disgruntled, "I'm up" but was hit full force with another one of Ginny's pillows.

"What in Merlin's name do you _want?!_" she groaned.

"I want to know _why _you smacked Ron and if it had anything to do with Malfoy and why didn't you tell me last night?!" Ginny said quite fastly.

"Because he deserved it, yes it did, and because I didn't want to."

Ginny looked at her, obviously expecting a better answer, before hitting Hermione with her pillow again.

"Ooof! Would you stop that!?" she snapped.

Smiling devilishly, Ginny replied, "No. Not until you tell me what's going on."

Sighing, Hermione threw her hands up in defeat. She retold her story of what happened with Ron, almost laughing at the face Ginny made when she told her about Ron grabbing her.

"Oh I'll kill him. Or I'll tell Mum and let her do it for me."

"It's fine Ginny. But now, I just… I don't know what to do about Draco!? I want to be with him… but what if he doesn't want to be with me? I mean… publicly."

Ginny looked a bit apprehensive, before replying, "Do _you _really want to have a _public _relationship with him… just yet? I mean… sure, you don't have to worry about Harry or Ron… or Fred or George," she added, "but, what about everyone else?"

Hermione appeared to be somewhat horrorstruck before screaming angrily, "Damn-hormones-make-me-forget-EVERYTHING!"

Ginny patted her friend gently on the back and said, "I'm sure you'll do fine Hermione. Just do what you think is right."

_But is loving the enemy right? _Hermione thought to herself.

Before she had any chance to ponder this thought, Ginny said matter-of-factly, "Now that you're up, we should go to breakfast. Never know who you might see."

She added a big wink while saying the last part.

Hermione rolled her eyes and pushed Ginny off her bed, laughing as Ginny fell on her bottom. Ginny sat there, crossed her arms, and began pouting like a two-year-old.

"Well you're not going to breakfast looking like that," Hermione said, wagging a finger at Ginny's monkey-covered pajamas.

"Aww…but Mummy!" she whined.

And with that, the girls dressed and left for breakfast.

Hermione didn't even see the furious redhead in the armchair by the fire on her way out.

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**A/N - **Yes, I know, short. But aren't they all? At least I'm updating. Review, and I give better chapters! .


	9. Relationships Revealed

**A/N - **Told you guys I'd update today. I actually got to thinking about it…and my chapters really aren't all that short if you think about how often I update. Almost everyday? Yeah. Longer chapters longer update intervals. Personally, I prefer it _this_ way. Thanks to all of you who reviewed so far. I still didn't get any specific questions, so I won't be listing answers. P Duh. Ok. Go read.

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"You know… I think it's great. You and Malfoy, I mean," Ginny declared, while her and Hermione were walking down to breakfast.

"Woah. Where'd that come from?" Hermione laughed.

"Well," said Ginny, "I was thinking, and I'd rather see you with our arch enemy than my prat of a brother. I might not agree with what Draco does, but at least he's got the looks to make up for it. Ron's as hideous as Merlin's right butt cheek, and I don't agree with what he does either."

Hermione was about to reply, when suddenly she was yanked into the room on her right. Draco smirked down at her, and Hermione gave him a chastising look but couldn't hold it.

His grey eyes that had once been so cold made her melt whenever she looked into them. It was as though she could see straight into his soul, and he knew it.

"We've really got to stop meeting like this," she said, leaning against the wall and smiling. "And you know, you didn't have to pull me away from Ginny. She's knows about us."

"Yeah, well, so will the whole school if she talks any louder. Honestly, 'I'd rather see you with our arch enemy than my prat of a brother…'" he said, mimicking Ginny in a high pitched voice, cracking on 'arch enemy'.

"Please… never- ever- use that voice again," Hermione said with an overdramatic horrified expression.

Draco mulled it over for a moment, and replied, "Only if I get to kiss you whenever I want."

Hermione sighed and said, "Oh… I suppose that's fair."

He swooped down and kissed her on the cheek, and then the other cheek.

"You know, I'm starting to like this deal," he said between kisses.

"Really? I couldn't tell," she said, as he kissed her forehead.

He laughed and kissed her square on the lips. She immediately kissed him back, wrapping her arms around his neck.

Pulling away, she said, "You know, I _was _on my way to breakfast."

"Are you that hungry?" he whined.

"Not anymore," she said, kissing him again.

He laughed into her mouth, and the vibration sent chills from her lips on down. The feeling it gave her was so intense, she forgot everything but the fact that she was with Draco, here and now.

He slid his tongue slowly into her mouth, and swirled it around hers. She pulled away little and bit teasingly on his lip. He moaned and pressed into her, letting her feel what she was doing to him.

She wrapped one leg around his, sliding it up and down slowly. His hands had made their way up the back of her shirt, and he was now fiddling with her bra clasp.

_Oh, Merlin, _he thought. _I need to stop now, or I won't be able to control myself. _

He loved this girl. As much as he hated to admit it, he always had.

Draco made the decision right then and there that he didn't care _who _knew about them. He worried a little about his father, but that wasn't going to stop him. He'd die for the girl kissing him right now.

He regretfully pulled away from her mouth, and slid his hands slowly down her back. He could feel it as this motion gave her goosebumps.

"Breakfast?" he asked, holding out his hand.

Hermione looked down at his hand.

_He wants me to go to breakfast… hand-in-hand, with him. He wants to make this public. Oh god. Ginny and I just talked about this a little while ago. Is this really what I want?_

She looked up into his eyes, and took his hand.

"Breakfast," she said, smiling.

She wanted him.

They left the classroom and turned the corner, only to immediately encounter Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil exiting the Great Hall. The girls gasped, and instantaneously put there heads together, whispering about this new find.

Draco rolled his eyes, and squeezed Hermione's hand. He had seen the nervous expression on her face when they first ran into the girls.

He gave her another reassuring smile, and looked towards the entrance of the Great Hall.

"Are you ready for this?" he asked gently.

Hermione took a deep breath and said, "As ready as I'll ever be."

And with that, they entered the Great Hall.

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Gasps from all four houses resounded in the Hall. Even Professor Dumbledore wore a shocked expression, but his eyes were twinkling mischievously.

Draco bent down and kissed Hermione's cheek, saying "Don't worry about it. I'm right here if you need me," and walked towards the Slytherin table. Hermione flushed, and gripped the strap of her book bag tightly.

She walked to her table with her head down, and sat between Ginny and the twins. They looked at her and smiled, but they were the only ones. Ron was gripping his fork so tightly, his knuckles were white, and his lips were comparative to McGonagall's. Harry was sitting next to Ginny, and he was leaning forward so he could see Hermione.

She chanced at glance at him, and wish she wouldn't have. If she had to give it a term, she'd say he was glaring at her. But that wasn't even close to what he was doing.

From the moment Hermione saw his eyes, she saw the hatred, pain, and betrayal reflecting in them. She almost cried, but looked up towards the Slytherin table, and saw Draco smiling concernedly.

She gave him a small smile back, and reached for the bacon.

"So much for not going public, eh?" said Ginny.

"And so much for talking about it right now, too," she added at a look from Hermione, going back to her breakfast.

Hermione quickly finished eating, and got up to leave. She stepped over the bench, grabbed her book bag, and was walking towards the door when she heard, "traitor" in a voice so quiet, so frail, she thought she must have imagined it.

She turned around and saw Ginny punching Harry in the leg. He looked down at her and said something, before getting up and leaving. Hermione observed Ginny redden, tears streaming down her face.

Harry brushed hard against Hermione's shoulder when he passed, almost knocking her over.

Her breath was caught in her throat, and she felt as though the very ground beneath her was spinning, Everyone was glaring at her, she had just caused her Ginny to lose the one guy who loved her back, and she had lost her own best friend while she was at it, and it was all because of a stupid boy. She couldn't do this, not here, not now. She wasn't ready.

Hermione sank slowly to the ground, her world blacking out.

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**A/N - **I didn't have much of a cliffy for the last chapter, so I figured I'd give you a nice big one this time. Cheers!

Review and you get a cookie. Review and add me to your alerts OR favorites and you get a tin of cookies. Do all three, and I'll buy you a cookie factory.

If you don't like cookies, then doom on you. Just kidding! Do you like pie? I like pie…

- Jenn


	10. Memories Forgotten

**A/N - Whew! We made it to chapter TEN by golly! woot**I WAS hoping to have fifty reviews before I posted this… (that's only five per chapter) but oh well. None of you guys reviewed chapter five…: (. Was it really that bad? Oh well. This is my favorite chapter anyway, so review this one. LoL!

And now I'm giving some MUCH deserved thanks to all of my reviewers: THANK YOU SO MUCH YOU GUYS! THIS STORY WOULDN'T BE HERE WITHOUT YOU! I want to thank my readers too, but special thanks goes out to you that took the time to review - (In order of number of reviews)

Queenofthelameos! _Madi Black!_ Momo-Grint '6! _Sexay Sarah!_ DramioneLurver! _Janelle.x3! _Dandin! _Mysterious Brunett!_ Nekoluver (I love you Kristina!)! _xmikahx! _Justine! _Anoynomous (spell much? Lol!)! _Toocute4u! _Princessemerelda! _H3r0in3x0v3rd0s3! _Jevanminx! _And gothicpagan!

Thanks to all of you guys! I wanna give **Madi Black** an extra shout out, for it was not for her… this story very well might not be here. Love you Madi!

And now… the chapter you've all been waiting for…

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_Her breath was caught in her throat, and she felt as though the very ground beneath her was spinning, Everyone was glaring at her, she had just caused Ginny to lose the one guy who loved her back, and she had lost her own best friend while she was at it… all because of a stupid boy. _

_She couldn't do this, not here, not now. She wasn't ready._

_Hermione sank slowly to the ground, her world blacking out._

_--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

Draco looked encouragingly over to Hermione, who returned the smile and began to eat. He hoped her friends weren't being to hard on her, but he doubted it.

Blaise was looking at him questioningly, so Draco glared at him.

"What's your problem?!" snarled Draco.

Blaise shrugged, "I just never thought I'd see you with a mudblood, that's all. Especially with the whole honoring-the-Malfoy-family-name thing."

"_Don't _call her that," Draco said dangerously. "I may have been a bit ancestry absorbed the past few years, but I never should have used the term. It's cruel, foul, and heartless."

"Since when have you cared about being heartless?" broke in Pansy, who had been listening in on the conversation.

Draco looked down to his plate. Pansy was right…. When _had _he began to care? The day in Diagon Alley was only for pure amusement… he hadn't even meant what he'd said that day… it was just to upset her. But now? … now she meant so much more.

"Since I fell in love," he said simply.

Potter walked briskly by their table and out the door.

_What's his problem? _thought Draco.

Suddenly, there was an uproar along the Gryffindor tables, and Draco looked over to see what the commotion was about. Professor McGonagall appeared to be shooing a crowd of people away from someone lying on the ground. Straining to see who it was, Draco stood up. Blaise followed suit.

There were too many people around whoever it was, and he couldn't see.

But wait! A first year shifted to their left, and Draco could see hair… hair that he wouldn't mistake for anyone else's.

"HERMIONE!"

He broke into a run across the Great Hall, ignoring everyone's shocked faces.

"What's wrong with her?!" he asked uneasily, looking to everyone for an answer. Professor McGonagall had conjured up a stretcher and was placing Hermione on it.

"It appears, Mr. Malfoy, that she has suffered from a stress blackout. I am taking her to the hospital wing, and you may visit her later. For now, however, she needs her rest," Professor McGonagall said promptly.

Ginny looked to Draco with a sympathetic look on her face, though she had tears in her eyes and her cheeks were flushed. Draco wondered what she was crying for… but was soon caught up in his own thoughts.

_Stress blackout? Oh Merlin… this is all my fault. I never should have kissed her. This wouldn't have happened… I never should have loved her._

Numbly, he walked out of the Great Hall and down towards the dungeons, slowly making his way to his dormitory.

_But I do._

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Hermione lay sleeping on her bed in the hospital wing. A tall redheaded figure walked in, a piece of parchment in hand. He stopped next to her, looking down at the piece of paper in his hand. Carefully, he folded the paper and placed it gently in her hand, closing her fingers around it. Giving her a grim smile, he walked out of the Hospital Wing.

Only minutes later, Hermione stirred. Her eyes flitted open.

She lay still, looking around her surroundings. White beds… white walls… crisp clean air… and Madame Pomfrey. That's right… she was in the Hospital Wing. But what for?

She rolled over, and felt a piece of paper clenched in her fist. She opened her hand, and looked curiously at the paper. Slowly she unfolded it, and written in a hasty scrawl was,

_Hermione,_

_He may love you, but what's he willing to go through for you?_

_- Ron_

Hermione looked appalled at the slip of paper.

_Love me? _she thought. _Who loves me? And how would Ron know before me?_

Confused, she sat up. Madame Pomfrey turned around and beamed.

"Wonderful! You're awake! How are you feeling, dear?" she asked.

"I, uh, feel fine. A bit hazy, maybe… but, excuse me, but could you… could you just tell me why I'm here?" she asked, stumbling on her words.

Madame Pomfrey raised her eyebrows but answered, "It appears that you suffered a stress blackout, and you've just been sleeping for the past six hours."

Hermione muttered a small 'Oh.' and sat back against her pillow.

"Take this. It should help relieve the stress," she said, handing her a pill.

Hermione took the pill, swallowing it with a gulp of water as Madame Pomfrey walked back to her office.

_Stress? It must have been my workload…_

Abruptly, the Hospital Wing doors flew open and in walked Ginny and Malfoy.

"Malfoy!?"

He smiled at her, "I'm so glad to see you're awake. You had me right worried. I stopped in earlier, but Madame Pomfrey told me you were still sleeping."

Ginny walked up and hugged Hermione, whispering in her ear, "He's been fretting over you like crazy. You're lucky to have him."

Hermione's eyes widened in shock.

"Excuse me?" she said.

"Look, Hermione, I know-" began Draco.

"Stop! Hold on… Did you just call me by my first name?"

Draco exchanged worried looks with Ginny, before answering, "Yes… why would I call you any different?"

Hermione snorted. "Um, because you _hate _me?"

Draco felt his heart drop into his stomach. She didn't remember.

"Hermione, tell me. What happened to you in Diagon Alley before term started?" he asked in a shaky voice.

"What do you mean what happened to me?" she asked, confused.

His breath caught in his throat, and he paled.

"Who'd you wake up to this morning?" Ginny asked.

"A pillow," Hermione said, "thanks to _you._"

"And what did we talk about?" Ginny asked excitedly.

Hermione paused and scrunched up her eyebrows. "I don't… I don't remember. Did we talk?"

"Oh God. Ginny, she doesn't remember anything about _me_! Oh God!" he said shakily. "Madame Pomfrey! Madame Pomfrey!"

Madame Pomfrey shuffled from her office.

"Yes, yes… what is it?"

"Can stress blackouts cause memory damage?" Ginny asked.

"Well yes, I suppose. If, of course, the source of the stress is traumatic enough, a person could forget the entire chain of events leading back to the start of the stress. Why?" she asked, looking apprehensive.

Draco sighed, "Because I think Hermione has forgotten me."

Madame Pomfrey's eyes widened. "Oh dear."

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Hermione looked from Malfoy to Ginny, then to Madame Pomfrey.

"Will someone _please _tell me what's going on here?"

Madame Pomfrey placed her hand on Hermione's shoulder.

"Dear, it appears you have memory loss associated with your blackout. We're going to do all we can to help you remember. I need you to drink this," she said, handing her a memory restorative potion.

"But-"

"- Just drink."

Hermione sighed and swallowed the thick purple liquid. Her eyes glazed over and a tingling sensation went through her entire body.

Suddenly, Hermione began laughing. She clutched her sides, and tears began streaming down her face she was laughing so hard.

"Oh my goodness! I just remembered when I first learned how to ride a bike. I was pedaling quite fast, and my dad stepped out in front of me, and I screamed at him, and ran right into him. I always tell him it's his fault I don't like bicycling. I'm always afraid someone will run out in front of me …"

Ginny looked at Madame Pomfrey, before asking "What's a bike?"

"Oh never mind," sighed Hermione.

"So what did we talk about this morning?" Ginny pressed.

"Ginny, I honestly _don't _remember talking to you this morning."

Madame Pomfrey sighed.

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid that's all I can do."

Draco felt tears welling up in his eyes.

_No… I can't cry. I won't. _

He took in a deep breath.

And then a light went off in his head.

_That feeling! I bet she'd feel it still! You can't deny love… trust me, I've tried._

Draco strode up to Hermione, cupped her face in his hands, and gently swooped down to kiss her. When his lips met hers, a tingling feeling washed over the both of them.

Hermione made to pull away, but mid-motion changed her mind. She pushed against his lips, and wrapped her arms around his neck. That feeling… it was almost as if she had felt it before…

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_He was taking her purse, and then they were both in an alley. He was kissing her!_

_--------------_

She slipped her tongue into his mouth.

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_They were staring at each other across the Great Hall, and she was determined not to look away._

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His hands slid up her back, and he held her tightly.

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_They were kissing in the hallway. Fred and George found them. She was telling Ron…_

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She pulled away and looked into his eyes.

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_He was holding his hand out to her. "Breakfast?" _

Everything was coming back to her. She remembered that morning… and Harry.

She remembered that she didn't care.

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She gazed deeper into his eyes, and saw what she was looking for. Sincerity. He wasn't doing any of this to hurt her.

"I love you," she whispered.

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**A/N - **This is officially my favorite chapter. I can't smile big enough. I hope you liked it too. Another chapter Saturday I hope.


	11. A Wonderful Day

_**A/N**_ - I'm sure you guys have heard about a million and two excuses as to why it took so long to update. I know! A _whole _week. I'm going to give you my excuses anyway. First, last Saturday night was spent packing. Sunday/Monday/Tuesday I spent at my summer retreat with my Youth Group. Wednesday night was spent arguing with my dad and being told I wasn't wanted. So… Today is the day I'm writing. Be thankful for what you've got guys, because _apparently… _I'm not. sigh

Thanks to my reviewers out there. I don't know how many I've lost because of the lengthy update, but I know author's who post once a month, if they're lucky. -.-

**Disclaimer - **Hey… when's the last time _I _wrote one of these things? I obviously don't own Harry Potter… or Tom Felton for that matter (no matter how many times I try to buy him off ebay!). Just my own evil plot. Muahahaha.

And off we go.

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_Everything was coming back to her. She remembered that morning… and Harry. _

_She remembered that she didn't care._

_--------------_

_She gazed deeper into his eyes, and saw what she was looking for. Sincerity. He wasn't doing any of this to hurt her._

"_I love you," she whispered._

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Draco's arms were wrapped around her tightly when she said it. The three words he never thought he'd hear from his own family, coming from the girl he least expected.

It wasn't supposed to be happening. It was impossible.

But it was the truth.

He loved her too.

Eyes wide and hands shaky, he said softly, "I love you too."

Hermione's lower lip trembled and tears began to slide down her cheeks. How could she have forgotten the best thing that ever happened to her?

She hugged him tightly and held him until he pulled away.

"You know, we could make it to dinner if you'd like," he offered.

Hermione looked down. Back in front of the whole school? That's what caused her last episode… but she could do it this time. She knew what to expect…

"Yeah… yeah that'd be great."

Draco left telling Hermione that he'd see her at dinner.

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Hermione entered the Great Hall, but no one looked at her. No one dropped their forks to stare, and no one shouted insults. It was as if they couldn't see her…. just like before.

She began to think something was wrong. What had happened? She thought she knew what to expect.

Hermione sat down at the table next to Ginny and looked at her worriedly.

"I'm so glad you're better, Hermione," Ginny said amiably.

Hermione sighed. She was just too concerned. Too ready for something horrible to happen. It still seemed a bit odd that no one was glaring at her. But she felt as though someone was. Hermione looked down the table and felt her stomach tighten.

It was her two best friends that were staring angrily at her.

Hermione sighed yet again._ Oh well, _she thought gloomily.

( Random A/N - do I make the characters sigh too much? lol… I dunno. I just noticed I do it a lot. I sigh in real life a lot too, maybe that's why… anyway )

She ate her dinner slowly and looked up to see Draco staring at her across the hall. She smiled warmly at him, and he beamed back. Hermione saw him motion towards the door, so she nodded and hastily finished her dinner.

As she walked out the door, Draco came up next to her and gently grabbed her hand. She looked back, only to see everyone was staring again.

_They don't care about me, _she thought. _They only care about Draco. _

She almost laughed at the thought.

He pulled her towards the wall and placed a small kiss on her cheek.

"How bad was it?" he asked softly.

Hermione looked to the ceiling and said in mock thought, "Oh, you know… horrible."

He laughed.

"Oh really?"

"Yes, it was quite wretched, if you ask me," she said dramatically, trying not to laugh.

Draco smirked and said, "Well, I'm afraid if it was _that _terrible, we'll just have to make it better…"

"I think I'd like that," she replied, leaning in to kiss him.

Draco gently held her face and kissed her.

"I love you," he whispered.

Beaming, Hermione replied, "I love you, too.

"You know, there's a Hogsmeade trip this weekend. I'd rather not go alone," she said, poking him in the chest.

"And just _who _do you think you're going with? Do you really think I'd let you go alone? Such a pretty girl… boys like Dean Thomas could rape you!" he said wide-eyed but smiling.

Hermione gave him a reprimanding look.

"I can take care of myself you know. But if you'd like to tag along…"

"Tag along?" he whined. "Sounds good!"

She laughed and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"I better go. Loads of work to get done."

He stuck out his lower lip and said, "Awight. I'll miss you."

She kissed the lip he had sticking out, replying, "Good. You're supposed to."

With that, she turned and walked to her dormitory.

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The week went by slowly. Hermione and Draco hardly ever had a chance to talk, and they only had Potions and Herbology together.

Not that they could talk in there, either. The professors had their workload so high, people began nicknaming NEWTS the drive-you-NUTS.

Hermione was looking forward to this weekend.

_I'll finally be able to spend time with him_, she thought happily.

The days drove on like a stampeding snail, and Saturday at last arrived.

Hermione happily skipped down the stairs with her jacket in hand.

"My, are you happy!" Ginny remarked, who had been sitting in a chair by the fire.

"Oh… I just get to spend my _entire _day with Draco…that's all," she said, positively beaming.

"Well I'd be happy too!" Ginny laughed.

Hermione rolled her eyes but never stopped smiling.

"Actually, I've got some happy news too."

"Really?" Hermione questioned.

"Yes. It seems Harry has finally realized what a prat he was being and decided to apologize to me. We're back together," Ginny exclaimed radiantly.

"Oh! That's wonderful Ginny! I'm so happy for you guys," Hermione said, although her stomach was sinking slightly. Harry still hadn't spoken to her. "Well, I'm off."

As she headed out the portrait hole, she heard Ginny call, "Harry and I are going to the Three Broomsticks around three! Catch us there if you can!"

Hermione walked to the entrance hall, only to find Draco already waiting for her.

He was standing against the wall talking to Blaise, who left the second he saw Hermione approaching.

"Good day, madam," he greeted warmly, kissing her hand.

""My, such a gentleman today, aren't we?" she laughed.

"Only the best for milady," he said.

She stepped away from him looking at his clothes. He was wearing muggle clothes. Jeans and t-shirt.

He stuck his chest out proudly, and she read his shirt.

_Just tagging along._

"Cute," she said. "Real cute."

"I know am."

She rolled her eyes and grabbed his hand.

"Let's go."

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A/N - I know... short ending. Oh well. I had to get this up so I could work on LTR. Love you all.

Review and you get a cookie.

Review and add me to your alerts or favorites and get a tin of cookies.

Do all three and I buy you a cookie factory.


	12. Resolutions

**A/N **- I know I'm like, the worst updater in the world right now. It's been, what, two weeks? I usually update everyday! I _know_! But now my dad's got me working full time with him and everything is insane.

So be happy if I update twice a week. I hope you guys keep reading. It means the world to me. I write for _you_. Not for me, not for anyone else. But I love getting positive feedback from you guys. Even negative. Ok. I don't LOVE negativity, but its still feedback!

Ok, I'm off to write.

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"Come _on_, Draco!" Hermione giggled.

He stalled. It was three o' clock.

"Please? Ginny wanted to meet up!"

Draco sighed.

"Fine, let's go," he said, throwing his hands up in defeat.

Hermione smiled at him and took his hand.

"You know I'm only doing this because I love you."

Hermione's smile grew wider.

The door jingled as they walked into the Three Broomsticks. Hermione looked around for a bit, finally spotting Ginny and Harry in a booth towards the back.

"There they are!" she said, pulling Draco along beside her.

"Hermione!" Ginny exclaimed. "It's ten past, I thought you weren't coming."

"Well I'm here, aren't I?" Hermione asked, grinning.

Ginny nodded. Harry was shifting uneasily in his seat.

"Erm… Hi, Harry."

He nodded, chewing on his lip. Draco's grip on Hermione's hand tightened. Ginny nudged Harry in his side, and all at once he blurted,

"Look, I'm really sorry. I overreacted and I shouldn't have and if it's what you want then so be it but I'm not gonna like it necessarily but I'll try and be nice and it might be hard but… I'll try."

He took a deep breath and looked Hermione square in the eye.

"That was a lot to say in one breath," Draco muttered.

Hermione's chest swelled with happiness.

"Thanks Harry!"

_I mustn't cry. I won't. _

"Erm, I'll be right back. Bathroom."

She kissed Draco on the cheek, avoiding Harry's eye.

The minute she was in the bathroom the tears were running down her cheeks.

_Why am I crying? This is ridiculous…_

"Hermione? Are you all right?"

It was Ginny.

"I'm, uh, I'm alright. it's just… if I ever lost him… Merlin. He's always been there, Gin. I couldn't handle it. Harry's like my brother, blood or not. I'm just a bit overwhelmed I suppose."

Ginny nodded in understanding and gently rubbed Hermione's back.

"He really is sorry, and he's going to try and accept it."

"I hope so," Hermione said looking up into Ginny's eyes. "Because I love this guy, Ginny. So much, it hurts."

Ginny gave her a sympathetic look. "Come on. Let's get back out there. Nothing good can come of Harry and Draco, alone, in a booth."

Hermione's eyes grew wide and she was out the door before Ginny had so much as took a step.

When Hermione reached the table, she stopped dead in her tracks. Shocked was an understatement. Ginny did a double take, and the boys looked up.

They were laughing.

Together.

Harry.

Draco.

Laughing.

The impossible was happening here and now.

"I'm not even gonna ask," Hermione heard Ginny say in the background.

They sat down, and looked suspiciously at the boys.

"S-S-Snape just… he… haha… he tried- he tried to seduce-Ma…Ma-Mad-" Draco tried to say, but was overtaken by a fit of snorts.

"M-Madame Rosmerta! And she-" snort, "she smacked him!" Harry finished for him, still bellowing with laughter.

"Okay then," said Hermione.

"Right… moving on," added Ginny.

Half an hour and four butterbeers later, Ginny and Hermione were the ones laughing. Draco had begun to drink some butterbeer, when he sneezed and sprayed a mouthful all over Harry.

Harry was gritting his teeth, wiping his glasses off, while Draco sat rigid, afraid of what may happen.

_I don't want to fight. Please don't let him be angry,_ he thought.

Harry took a deep breath and looked around.

"Right then," he said, "_Scourgify!_"

He butterbeer disappeared immediately.

"Thanks for that, mate," he said to Draco, smiling.

Draco released a breath he didn't know he was holding. He shrugged.

"Anytime," he said sarcastically.

"Well," said Harry, wrapping his arm around Ginny, "we should get going, Gin. Especially if you want to stop by Honeydukes before we go back to the castle."

"Okay. Thanks for coming, Hermione. Nice to see you, Draco."

Hermione jumped up to hug Ginny and Harry, while Draco merely nodded.

When the two left, Hermione turned to Draco and said, "I must say, you handled yourself quite nicely."

"I do what I can. I like to please the ladies," he said, winking.

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The two spent the rest of their day in Hogsmeade at a café, sharing an iced caramel mocha.

As they made their way back to the castle, Draco wrapped his arm around Hermione's waist. He stopped her and gently kissed her.

"Did you know," he whispered into her ear, "that I have fallen in love with the most beautiful girl I have ever known?"

She smiled, replying, "I think I had a small idea."

He held her tightly.

"I love you," she said, hugging him closely.

"And I love you."

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Hermione climbed into bed, smiling to herself. That was one of the best days she had had in a long time.

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Morning dawned and Hermione turned to look out the window. It was a beautiful day, and she was hoping to spend some of it out on the grounds with Draco. She slowly dressed and went down to breakfast, expecting to see him already there.

But he wasn't.

Hermione sighed to herself. _He's probably doing his hair…_

She giggled at her own thought.

Ginny walked in moments later and sat across from her.

"Morning!" she said brightly.

"Morning," greeted Hermione.

"So… how was the rest of your day yesterday?" Ginny asked, curious.

Hermione smiled. "It was nice."

"Oh?"

"Yes, nice."

Harry walked up and took his place next to Ginny, kissing her on the cheek.

"Morning, gorgeous."

Ginny flushed.

"Morning."

"Hey, Hermione," he added.

"Beautiful day, isn't it?" Hermione asked.

Harry nodded, grabbing some bacon. "I invited Ron to come fly with me, but he won't. He won't even say anything. I think he's being a pisser because I apologized to you," he told Hermione.

Hermione bit her lip. Why was she causing her friends so much trouble?

Draco entered the Hall, hair perfectly in place, waving at Hermione. That was why. She smiled, her stomach twisting, goose bumps appearing on her arms, and gave a small wave back.

_Why do I still get this feeling when I see him? The butterflies… the goose bumps… honestly! It's been weeks! _

Chills ran down her back and she looked to her food.

Ginny and Harry were talking about flying together after breakfast, and Neville, who had sat to her right, was humming a tune merrily.

Hermione looked around. Normally, she would've been talking to Ron. But now? Now… things seemed so different.

They _were _different.

She got up, said goodbye to Harry and Ginny, and walked out of the Hall. Draco hadn't seen her get up, and he was still talking to Blaise Zabini.

_I won't bother him. At least he's still got all his friends…_

Her feet carried her for minutes; she wasn't even thinking about where they were taking her. She found herself in front of the wall where the Room of Requirement was concealed.

She walked past it once.

_I need Ron to be my friend again._

Twice.

_I need him to accept Draco._

Three times.

_I just want everything to be okay._

And a door appeared.

Hermione sighed and pulled the handle. Stepping into the room, she saw shelves filled with glinting objects lining the walls of a spacious living area. She walked up to a shelf, and a tear fell down her cheek.

They were all pictures.

Of her.

And Ron.

Some included Harry, others Ginny. Several contained groups of people, laughing in to common room, or cheering at a Quidditch match. Everyone seemed so happy.

Everyone but her.

Her friends were there, having a great time, but it was never because of her.

It was Quidditch… or a joke of Fred and George's… occasionally it was Ginny slapping Ron upside the head… but it was never _her _that made them laugh like that. She never put that joy on their face. And not often did they put it on hers…

She turned to another wall.

More pictures.

These ones were of her and Draco. There were only five. She supposed Colin had taken them. She grabbed the middle one and held it in her hands. It had been taken only yesterday, she could tell.

Draco was holding her tightly, smiling. He pulled back and said something, and Hermione watched as her own face lit up. She knew what he was saying, and she had said it back.

She loved him. It was undeniable.

Hermione knew what she had to do. She slid the picture into her pocket, and walked out the Room of Requirements.

She reached the portrait of the Fat Lady in record time, giving her the password hastily.

Clambering through the portrait hole, she found Ron sitting in a chair before the fire. He looked round and saw her, and immediately faced the fire again. Hermione stomped up to him.

"Look, Ron. I know you liked me and everything and _let me finish_," she said when he opened his mouth to speak. "You know, like it or not, I _love _Draco, Ron. He makes me happy, and he loves me too. I just… I thought you'd be able to see that. You've been the greatest friend up until now, and if _one guy_ is going to do this to our friendship… What did we even have to begin with?"

Ron sat silently, chewing on the inside of his cheek.

"I just… I want you to know how happy he makes me. And if you care about me at all, it should make you happy too."

She pulled the picture out of her robes and dropped it on his lap, placing her hands on her hips. Ron slowly picked up the picture, and a tear fell onto the glass. He didn't know what to do. What she said was true… and honestly, he _was _happy for her. Looking at the picture, seeing her smile… it was all Hermione had ever wanted, and he was making her regret it.

He was entirely disgusted with himself. He didn't love her… he just wanted to protect her… He didn't want to see her get hurt, but here he was, hurting her. What had he done?

"I miss you," he mumbled, ears turning red.

Hermione was slightly taken aback. "What?"

"I miss being your friend, and I miss hanging out, and I miss what we had before… before this," he said, gesturing at the picture. "And, well, if he's going to be part of it, then so be it. There's not much I can do. Forgive me?"

Hermione sighed. She had thought long and hard before this. Could she really forgive him?

But could she lose him?

She bent down and hugged him. She felt Ron release a breath, and she smiled.

"If it makes any difference, I missed you too," she said. "See you around?"

Ron nodded, smiling.

Hermione left to find Draco. This day was already going great, and _no one _was going to ruin it.

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**A/N **- Meep! I love this chapter. I think it's because everything's all good now. It's not my _favorite _chapter by any means, but it's like…. closure. I don't know. I just like it. P

Thanks to all who reviewed and are going to review.

Thanks to those who read this chapter, even though it took me an ungodly amount of time to update.

And thanks to Madi… who's teaching my not to worry about it.

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Review and you get a cookie.

Review and add me to your alerts or favorites and get a tin of cookies.

Do all three and I buy you a cookie factory.


	13. An apology, A hope

Hey guys! I know it's been FOREVER since I've even touched this story, and as excited as you may have been for another chapter, I'm terribly sorry to disappoint you. I owe you this author's note, so you know what's going on though.

I am not, I repeat, AM NOT, abandoning this story. All of my stories are currently being put on hold and I am doing a complete re-write of all everything. A lot of my story seems to lack plot, so this is a "Discontinued until further notice" warning. I am posting this on all of my stories.

I will finish the story to its entirety before I begin posting again, so look for me in around December. I've got a free hour every morning before classes now, so I should be able to use this time for writing. Of course I will consult my beta, (as busy and non-updating as she may be), before posting.

I thank all of you that will stay with me until I return, and I encourage you to stick around. At least put me on your alerts, because I WILL be back.

I love you all! And I know you know that! Cookie factories to everyone I owe them to, and kisses to the rest of you!


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